Flexible moustache cup

ABSTRACT

A drinking cup formed of paper stock or other resiliently flexible sheet material and having a movable upper lip protector extending therefrom and integrated therewith for snap action retention in a position of either non-use or use.

United States Patent 1191 Levin 1 1 May 15, 1973 [54] FLEXIBLE MOUSTACIIE CUP 204,125 5/1878 Barrows ..220/90.2

2,154,003 4/1939 Lane [76] g rgzg Dnvei 3,132,393 5/1965 Chevillon ..220/90.6 x

[22] Filed: May 28, 1971 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [211 pp No: 147,897 860,744 10/1940 France ..229/1 Primary Exqminer i eonard Summer [52] US. Cl. ..229/1.5 B Att0rneylsler and Ornstein [51] Int. Cl ..B65d 3/28, 365d 3/06 [58] Field of Search...; ..220/90.2, 90.4, 90.6; ABSTRACT 229/15 17 R A drinking cup formed of paper stock or other resiliently flexible sheet material and having a mova- [56] References C'ted ble upper lip protector extending therefrom and in- UNITED STATES PATENTS :egratfedfierewith for snap action retention in a posi- 1on 0 e1 er n0n-use or use. 1,171,431 2/1916 Gorton ..229/l.5 B

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEW 3,733,021

INVENTOR. MAXmE G. Levm FLEXIBLE MOUSTACHE CUP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Drinking cups provided with a rigid shield or protector extending across an upper portion of the cup are known in the prior art and are commonly referred to as moustache cups. Such cups are commonly purchased for private use by men who have moustaches and wish to protect the moustache from getting wet by exposure to the liquid in the cup. These moustache protectors have conventionally taken the form of a rigid bridge or extension across the upper edge of the cup and providing an opening between the moustache protector and the lip or upper edge of the cup. In this manner, by resting his upper lip against the shield or protector, the liquid passes through the opening provided therefore while the moustache is maintained shielded and out of the path of the liquid during the time the cup is tilted for drinking.

Ordinarily, moustache cups are not available or provided in public places where food or drink is consumed, so that the moustached drinker must necessarily suffer the inconvenience of getting his moustache wet and contaminated when being served in public places with conventional drinking cups. This same inconvenience exists in connection with the use of disposable drinking cups which are in such widespread use through automatic vending machines, at sporting events and at other public events of a casual or informal nature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION' The primary object of the invention is to provide a convertible and disposable moustache cup which is convenient to use and economical to manufacture. The invention contemplates a cup made of paper or other flexible sheet material with an integrated upper lip protector which is movable relatively to the body of the cup to a position or posture of non-use or to a postion of use. Thereby, the cup has the feature of a lip protector or moustache shield available for those persons who desire such a feature, while at the same time the movable shield can be moved to a position of non-use so that it will not be an obstruction or annoyance for those persons who do not require or want the moustache or upper lip shielded.

The protector is designed to be yieldably urged and retained by compressive snap action in one or the other of its limits of position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 of the drawings shows a cut blank prior to its formation into a cup. Although such a cup could take various configurations and forms, the blank is here shown as a segment of a circle which is adapted to have its opposite edges 11 and 12 joined to each other in any suitable manner to provide a cup body 13 of substantially circular cross-section and conical configuration. The bottom of the cup may be provided by sealing the lower edge 14 to itself or by providing a separate bottom insert (not shown) and wrapping the blank 10 around it in a manner known to the art.

The blank 10 is formed of resiliently flexible sheet material such as paper stock, cardboard, synthetic resin or the like, which can be suitably coated or impregnated or laminated or otherwise treated, if necessary, to make it suitable for its intended use.

Extending upwardly from a portion of the upper edge 15 of the blank is a lip protector or shield 16 in the form of a tab of suitable size and shape which is an extension of or integrated with the body portion 13 of the blank 10. The lip protector 16 is preferably of the same material as the cup body and is an integral part thereof. The portion 16 is provided with an opening 17 therethrough which defines oppositely disposed leg portions 18 which serve to interconnect the lip protector l6 and the cup body 13. The opening 17 permits the liquid or beverage in the cup to pass through the lip protector portion when the cup is tilted in use. The connecting leg portions 18 serve as spaced hignes which permit folding or movement of the lip shield 16 relatively to the body portion 13.

In FIG. 2 of the drawings, the blank 10 is shown formed into a conical drinking cup of substantially circular cross-section and with the lip shield 16 extending or projecting upwardly from the upper edge 15 of the cup body 13 in a substantially vertical position or posture and extending arcuately for less than half the circumference of the edge 15. It will be noted that the liquid discharge opening 17, or at least the lower portion thereof, is at or slightly below the level of the upper edge 15 of the cup body, so that the contents of the cup will tend to pass through this opening into the mouth of the user when the cup is tilted to a drinking position. In use, a person who wants to utilize the lip protector 16 would place his mouth in position on the cup so that the moustache or upper lip lies against the shield portion 19 of the lip protector and would drink through the opening 17.

As best seen in FIG. 3 of the drawings, the hinges or leg portions 18 permit movement of the lip protector 16 from the upwardly extending position of use shown in solid lines in FIG. 3 to the downwardly extending position of non-use shown in phantom outline in FIG. 3. In moving from its upright use position to its non-use position, the lip shield 16 passes through a diametrical plane of the cup body, as indicated by the intermediate position shown in phantom outline in FIG. 3. During such movement, the lip shield 16, and particularly the upper edge 20 thereof, moves from a position where it is substantially coplanar with the: cup body 13 toward the central axis of the cup, intercepting space arcs of successively shorter radius, until the shield 16 is positioned in the diametrical plane of thecup as indicated in phantom outline in FIG. 3. In this posture of the shield, it approaches most closely to the center axis of the cup and intercepts a space are of shortest radius and thereforeof shortest length of are for the angular segment defined by the lip shield 16 in this diametrically extending, inwardly directed posture.

By dimensioning the lip shield 16 so that its width is of greater dimension than the length of arc which it intercepts or upon which it is superimposed in its diametrically extending position, the lip shield is placed under compression in its own plane as it approaches the diametrical posture, and this compression reaches its maximum when the lip shield is in the diametrical plane or posture. Due to the resiliently flexible character of the material utilized, the lip shield will flex or deform in response to this compressive force, so that continued downward movement of the lip shield toward the nonuse position will be accompanied by a snap-action resulting from the relief of this compressive force, thereby urging the lip shield 16 toward the non-use position shown in phantom outline.

Conversely, when the lip shield is moved from the phantom outline non-use position through the diametrical plane to the use position shown in solid lines, the compressive force created as it passes through the diametrical plane will create a snap-action urging the lip shield to the solid line position and resisting its inward displacement from that position. Thus, the compressive snap-action force not only urges the lip shield to one extreme of position or the other, but also yieldably maintains the lip shield in whichever extreme of position it is disposed.

As is apparent from the foregoing description, I have provided an inexpensive and disposable drinking cup which has a hinged, movable moustache or upper lip protector which can be selectively positioned for use or non-use and which is dimensioned to provide snapaction retention of the lip-protector in the selected position. Although I deem it preferably that the cup body,

and lip protector be formed of a single unitary piece of flexible sheet material and have so described the illustrative embodiment, it is within the contemplation of the invention that the lip shield 16 be a separate piece made of flexible sheet material, which may be the same as or dissimilar to the flexible sheet material forming the cup body, which is attached in any suitable manner to the upper edge of the cup body to integrate it therewith and provide a moustache cup structure equivalent to that herein described.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A moustache cup having a side wall of substantially circular cross-section formed of a body of resiliently flexible sheet material, an integrated lip protector in the form of a tab extending upwardly from the upper edge of said wall and substantially coplanar therewith, said tab having an arcuate length substantially less than half the circumference of said upper edge and being provided with an opening adjacent said edge, said opening defining oppositely disposed leg portions hingedly connecting said tab to said upper edge for movement relative thereto between an upwardly directed substantially coplanar position and a downwardly directed position wherein it overlies said wall.

2. A moustache cup as defined in claim 1, wherein said flexible sheet material is paper stock.

3. A moustache cup as defined in claim 1, wherein said lip protector is compressed during said movement to urge it by snap action toward one or the other of said positions and yieldably retain it therein. 

1. A moustache cup having a side wall of substantially circular cross-section formed of a body of resiliently flexible sheet material, an integrated lip protector in the form of a tab extending upwardly from the upper edge of said wall and substantially coplanar therewith, said tab having an arcuate length substantially less than half the circumference of said upper edge and being provided with an opening adjacent said edge, said opening defining oppositely disposed leg portions hingedly connecting said tab to said upper edge for movement relative thereto between an upwardly directed substantially coplanar position and a downwardly directed position wherein it overlies said wall.
 2. A moustache cup as defined in claim 1, wherein said flexible sheet material is paper stock.
 3. A moustache cup as defined in claim 1, wherein said lip protector is compressed during said movement to urge it by snap action toward one or the other of said positions and yieldably retain it therein. 